Finding Freedom in Forgiveness

Mountain View - Stealing Your Breath with Views of the Heart of God

Are you stuck in a place of bitterness? Have you been deeply wounded? Are you angry at those who have hurt you? If you are, I want to encourage you today with a message of "forgiveness" and the incredible transformation it can bring to our lives.

In 1983, Gary Skinner did what God asked him to do.  He moved his young family and started Kampala Pentecostal Church (“KPC”) in the capital city of Uganda.  The church is housed in the building that once served as Idi Amin’s military headquarters.  Idi Amin was one of the most vicious dictators in world history. His military headquarters frequently held detainees for interrogation.  Interrogation often included torture and death.  When KPC established residency in the building, the staff literally had to wash blood off the walls – a vivid reminder of the building’s ugly past.  Today Kampala Pentecostal Church flourishes in ministry to thousands of members.  Within the walls of that building, voices are lifted in the highest praise and people are experiencing the great love of God.  The church building itself is a radical picture of the transformation that occurs through Jesus Christ. 

God is still in the business of transforming lives today.  He wants to transform yours.  He doesn’t want to transform you because He is driven by rules or a desire to control you.  He is driven by a passionate love for you.  He wants you to be whole and healthy.  When you drop destructive behaviors, you will find freedom and wholeness. 

The inability to forgive is destructive.  You can’t fulfill your potential and live abundantly when you’re chained in bitterness.  It eats away at you.  Freedom comes when you move beyond anger to forgive those who have hurt you.  

During my teenage years, deep emotional pain filled my heart.  Our family seemed to move from one crisis to another with very little stability in between. My parents divorced, a stepfather was sexually attracted to me, another was an alcoholic, and my mother tried to commit suicide.  Reading the Bible in my early twenties, I was convicted to find forgiveness for those who had caused pain in my life.  At first, I offered forgiveness with my mind, but it did not live in my heart.  It took 3 years of prayer for God to get me to the place where I could truly release my pain and bitterness to forgive from the heart.  When I did, my soul found peace with the people whose actions had wounded me. 

It’s no wonder God instructs us to forgive others.  The healing that comes through forgiveness is truly one of His most magnificent miracles. But let’s face it.  Forgiving others (and ourselves) is tough.  We can say we forgive someone with our mouths, but we can only find peace when forgiveness is rooted in our hearts. 

Jesus Himself reminds us in Matthew 21:22 that God will give us whatever we ask in His name; however, He will only give us those things that are in harmony with His will for us.  He will never give us anything that is outside of His will.  God’s will for us is found in the Bible, and His words are clear about forgiveness and mercy.

Forgiveness is a command – and it’s reciprocal.

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

                                Colossians 3:13

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

                                                        Luke 6:36

Here are some things to remember:

1) Reflect on your past mistakes. God has forgiven you. As you strive to find forgiveness for others, remember what God has done for you. God has convicted me personally about this. He has gently asked me how I can desire for him to bring punishment on someone who has hurt me when I have escaped eternal punishment because of what Jesus did for me (taking punishment for my sins).

2) Forgiveness is a character trait of God. He wants us to be like him. Ask yourself if there is someone you need to offer forgiveness to today.  Write their name(s) down now.

3) Look over the list of names you wrote down.  Pray for each person on that list everyday (and each time you feel anger toward them).  Use the following prayer if you’d like, inserting each person’s name into the blanks.

Merciful Father,

You have forgiven me for so many things. I recognize this and thank you for it. But my heart is so weary and broken these days. The journey lately has been so very difficult and I find myself wondering when I will be able to breathe again - to live again - to love again. My heart is hard and I don't like it. I want that to change. In my anguish God, I kneel before you and ask you to set me free. Release the chains around my bitter and unforgiving heart. Help me to see _______________ through your eyes. I pray that _______________ will begin to grasp the immensity of your love and that ____________________ will be comforted and changed by that knowledge. I pray that you will fill ______________ with knowledge of your will and that ______________ will prosper and be strengthened. Today I declare that ___________________ no longer owes me a thing for I have found everything I need in you. And I recognize the truth that I have been forgiven much. Because I have been forgiven much, I choose to forgive ________________ much.

4) Depend completely on Christ's strength and power. We are human. Forgiveness is painful and difficult for us. Christ is able to help us because he has "been there, done that." His friends abandoned Him.  Others mocked Him, mistreated Him, humiliated Him, tortured Him, and crucified Him.  Although they offered no apology and showed no remorse, Jesus offered mercy.  Even before they asked for forgiveness (and some never would), He showed them grace.  Even as He hung on the cross in agony, Jesus forgave them from His heart.    (Luke 23:23-34) He will give you the power to wash the stains off the walls of your heart and move into a bright new future free from bitterness and anger.

Know that I'm cheering you on from my place here at The Warming House. I believe in you and know that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

With Great Confidence in the Character of God,

Lisa

 

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Why it's Okay to Release Your Guilt

South Africa
by: Lisa at The Warming House

Mountain View Mondays - Stealing your Breath with Exquisite Views of God's Heart, His Character, and His Ways


Have you done anything you regret? Are there times when you wish you could turn back the clock and have a do-over? Do you agonize over things in your past - people you've hurt, poor choices you made, paths you followed, temptations you gave in to?

Base of Victoria Fallls by Lisa @ The Warming House

If you have a Bible, open it and read Psalm 51. This is an incredible prayer from the heart of King David. Hear his consuming regret and remorse.

As you read, remember this is the David who:

Courageously killed Goliath with a single stone . . .

Was mercilessly hunted by King Saul . . .

         Lived as a lonely, persecuted outcast in caves . . .

        Was appointed as king over Israel . . .

        Was the man God referred to as a “man
        after his own heart” . . .

         Was not immune to sin . . .

David was a noble king, but he wasn't perfect. Uriah the Hittite was the greatest smudge on David’s character.  David betrayed Uriah by committing adultery with his wife. To make matters worse, David then had Uriah murdered so he could take Bathsheba as his own.  David lived for 9 months with no expression of remorse or sorrow.  He ran from God and tried to hide his awful mistakes.  As he distanced himself from God, there was naturally a break in their relationship. 

This break in relationship grieved God’s heart. Because David did not go to God to admit what he'd done, God went to David.  In 2 Samuel 12, God sent Nathan the prophet to pursue David and confront him about his wrongdoings.  God did not pursue David in order to destroy him.  There was another reason.  He pursued David in order to restore their relationship.

David’s heart was crushed as he listened to what Nathan had to say. Psalm 51 is his response. He finally went before God and the Jewish people in a public prayer of confession. The depth of his agony can be seen in verse 3. “For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.”  David’s guilt and shame consumed him every moment of every day. Is this something you can relate to?

Guilt can be beneficial because it carries with it an awareness of sin and deep feelings of remorse.  Guilt convicts us of the need to go to God, confess our sins, ask for His forgiveness, and pursue his mercy.   Verse 17 tells us that God desires a broken spirit, and a broken and contrite (crushed) heart.  Without feelings of guilt – or Godly sorrow, true repentance is absolutely impossible.

Is your spirit broken right now?  What is causing these feelings?  Like David, God may be pursuing you.  Is there something you need to resolve with Him? Know that he is safe. He wants to restore you not destroy you. And he is merciful. Why do you think He waited nine months for David to repent?  Think about that for a minute.  God could have punished David immediately; instead He gave him nine months to come clean! 

Jesus is the greatest proof that God wants to show us mercy.  Because of His great love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to take the punishment for our sins so that our relationship with Him could be restored.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9

If you read Psalm 51 closely, you will see David’s heartfelt belief that God is good and merciful.  He truly believes God has the desire and ability to make him clean again.  “Cleanse me . . . and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Create in me a pure heart, O God.”


For some of us, it's difficult to have the same belief that David had. We feel our mistakes are so big and horrific that we can't wrap our minds around the immensity of a perfect love (God's love) that gives complete and total forgiveness. We know we don't deserve to be let off the hook completely, so we step in and punish ourselves with guilt to make things right. Truth is - we don't deserve to be let off the hook, but that's what makes God so absolutely wonderful!

Robbin Island; South Africa by Lisa @ The Warming House

Please get this: Once you’ve confessed your sins, don’t hang onto guilt in an effort to punish yourself or pay the price for your sins, for it is by grace you have been saved. Jesus has taken ALL the punishment bearing God's wrath for ALL of your sins - every last one. He has paid the price in FULL.  Amount due: $0.00! You are free!

Are feelings of guilt holding you prisoner? Dear friend, let it go. This is not what God wants for you.

Your past does not bind you! Your past does not define you!

God is giving you a fresh start today.  He wants to restore you to joy and put a new song in your heart! So what do you need to let go of today?



Coastal Waters; South Africa by Lisa @ The Warming House



As ever - Enjoying the View!
Lisa

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